


Staff Picks

by luna_trancy



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluffy, Gentle, Getting Together, Jean is a dork, Librarians, M/M, Modern AU, Prompt Fic, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, bookworm - Freeform, but it's short, i deadass don't really know what else to add???, references to every character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29795625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luna_trancy/pseuds/luna_trancy
Summary: Jean is a student and his biggest hobby is browsing the Staff Picks at the local library.  And absolutely not because he has a crush on one of the librarians.  Although, he does appreciate the books under "Armin's Recs".
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Jean Kirstein
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a prompt I saw on twitter: librarian/bookworm au. And I just ran with it. It's something short but it was fun to write! I hope anyone scraping for Jearmin scraps enjoys <3
> 
> For more general rambles, follow me on twitter @porgatine! <3

Nothing really beat waking up on a cold Saturday morning to return a near-past-due library book. But that’s exactly where Jean found himself, rumpled pajamas included. He’d finished the book earlier in the week but between work and a law degree, he barely found time to eat, though he squeezed in time for a good book.

Just not enough to return anything on time.

Thankfully, his neighborhood library branch had a 24/7 dropbox which made these rainy mornings a little bit easier. 

He pulled up to the window in his car and picked up his little stack of returns to feed into the automated box. He could see the warm library view through the glass, people meandering around, the scene behind the desk as a librarian would pick up a book to be shelved again.

Saturdays could be mundane but this was a new level. The first time leaving the house all week and it was here, to drop off books. 

“Please place one book at a time. Thank you!” the mechanical voice greeted. Sure thing. Jean held out one book, and one book only, in the dribbling rain. The box opened its mouth to reveal its conveyor belt tongue just as Jean glanced up, more rain splattering his arm, and glimpsed one of the librarians walk by.

And stopped.

And sort of gasped.

Jean always hated the phrase “love at first sight”, all its sickly, fairytale connotations and just how often it popped up to deter a protagonist in a good book but he felt the sharp prick of a love god’s arrow strike his heart. 

Bright blue eyes and idly taking inventory of the books. Jean let out a sigh, arm still stretched to the dropbox, rain hitting the inside of his car, wet aggression now included. How could someone so gentle exist in such a small corner corner of Trost?

And as soon as the librarian had slipped into Jean’s life, and window view, he was gone.

The car behind Jean honked, pulling him from his high fantasy romance and back into a wet reality.

Screw the feeder. Jean hastily pulled forward, rolled over the curb and winced as his car hit concrete with a grinding noise that sounded expensive. He drove away and to the first available parking spot.

He inhaled. 

When was the last time he’d actually been on a date, much less asked someone out? Marco, first year of undergrad and on a drunken dare. He did not need to answer his own dumb question. Rusty barely even fit; he slid closer to inexperienced on the dating scale.

But…

But that librarian had been stupidly cute.

Jean took a look at himself in the mirror. He hadn’t planned on any human interaction except maybe the nice lady at the donut shop who always threw in extra donut holes and told him he had a nice smile. He had stubble, bed head, dried mustard on the collar of his shirt and a tear in his pj pants. It was definitely a _look_ though his socks and crocs may be the worst part.

But what was his LSAT compared to asking for a number? Sock-crocs or not, he read somewhere in some book some time ago that fear was temporary or _something_.

Swallowing nerves and doubt, Jean scooped up his books and stepped out into a wet cold that sank into his bones. He thought to jump back into the warmth of his car but knew that was just another way of self-doubt trying to ease its way into the cracks of his confidence. He marched right through the parking lot—almost slipped on oil slick— and through sliding doors into a blast of heat.

The library’s warmth beat off the cold. The scent of the heater and books and wood hit him at once, as overwhelming as the silent stillness that came with any library. His heavy breathing broke it up and he became painfully aware of how loud he was the longer he stood in the entrance.

Where did he even start—

“Sir, do you need assistance?”

Jean spun around with too much hope, smiling with all teeth as he caught sight of bright blue eyes. But…

“No ma’am, uh, miss!” The woman looked younger than him. With her blonde hair pulled into a ponytail he wondered…was she the one he saw in the window? His smile faltered and he dropped his shoulders. He tried not to look as disappointed as he felt but even her smile turned into a bit of a grimace at his sudden lack of enthusiasm. “I just needed to return this…”

Jean trailed off, holding the book out as if to prove he did indeed have a book, as the other librarian took a seat behind the reference counter at a computer.

Stupidly cute. What did he even say to someone like that?

“If you’re just returning the book, I can take it for you,” said the girl—her nametag read Historia. She held out her hands, waiting.

And Jean pulled the book back to his chest like some well-guarded secret. She raised her eyebrows. “N-No,” he protested. “I…uh…I’m going to look around first.”

Historia narrowed her eyes. Before she could question, because Jean had no answers, he turned and went to browse the first book display he saw. Paranormal YA romance. Not his first, second or fifth choice but he found a book by Rico that looked incredibly promising. There was a charm to her writing that really couldn’t be replicated.

He waited, engrossed in the synopsis, until Historia walked off. And he waited until his pulse slowed and didn’t leave his hands shaking before taking a final breath. He set the book back in its spot because he knew he didn’t have the time this week to devote to a new story and felt a bit of heartbreak at leaving the book completely unread. Such were the risks of browsing in a library.

With the last bit of confidence he could pull together, he approached the reference desk.

“I can get you over here.”

Jean remembered to breathe as the stepped forward but his hands forgot how to stay still the closer he got to the counter. The librarian stared at him through huge circular glasses perched on his nose, framing those incredible blue eyes. Blue, like ocean waves in the summer sort of blue. Catching every light at every angle. It was probably illegal to be this attractive while wearing an honest-to-god sweater vest. Jean had only seen them on his stuffy professors but the librarian made it look runway ready.

 _Hello! My name is Armin. Ask me anything!_ Read the name tag pinned to that brown and beige sweater vest.

“Um…h-hi.”

Armin blinked. “Um…hello? Checking out?”

“N-No!” No, absolutely not was he checking Armin out up close. Jean scrambled to place his book on the counter. “I mean, I’m just returning this book.”

“Oh.” It sounded indifferent. “I can take it for you then. Is that all?”

Yes, except his number. How exactly was Jean supposed to ask him out in pajamas and crocs? He didn’t think this part out at all in the car.

“Yeah, that’s all, thanks,” Jean quipped. He paused. His nervousness pushed out the words way harder than he’d meant. Great. Now he would look like a unkempt asshole. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Um…nice sweater vest.”

Armin scanned the book and narrowed his eyes. “If you’re trying to make a joke, I’ve probably already heard it and delivered funnier. Now if that’s all—”

“I’m sorry, no!” Jean sputtered, waving hasty hands. “I didn’t mean it as an insult! It’s really nice. It has a nice…uh…brown color.”

Brown color. That was his go-to? Even Armin seemed to cringe at his words.

“I…I’m Jean,” he blurted.

Mouth dry. Eyes big. He tried smiling again but felt all his teeth coming out of his face like a titan from Zoe’s latest thriller.

Armin glanced at the computer. “I can…see when I scanned the book. If you don’t have any questions or other books, I’m going to get back to my job now.”

Jean felt his smile turn into a grimace. Armin’s tongue was razor sharp and somehow deadlier with his pretty eyes and button nose behind it.

He stepped back and waved and stiffly stumbled over flat carpet on his way to the exit. He glanced over his shoulder and caught Armin’s eyes following him for a flicker of a moment before returning to the computer. It didn’t feel much like the longing stares in romance novels, that lingered with you for hours after reading.

Armin looked damn near relieved.

Jean had really blown it before he ever really had it, huh?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean goes back to the library, only to find that A Challenger Approaches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bonus weekend chapter! I'll resume posting on Wednesdays but I wanted to post an extra chapter since I just uploaded the fic. Enjoy <3 
> 
> Follow me on twit @porgatine!

Jean waited a week.

A full week before attempting to step foot in that library again. Bouncing back after making an ass of himself and the sheer embarrassment that lingered was much harder than he imagined. Also the crocs. Those damn shoes really played a part as to why he never wanted to show his face anywhere ever again. The pros of being a recluse did mean he had plenty of time for his homework.

So his time wasn’t a waste, just a bore, and when Saturday came back around he needed something other than his text book and case files to study.

No Armin this time. Genuinely. He wanted a book. And maybe to see if Armin wore another sweatervest. Mostly a book.

After a final self-pep talk in the car, he stepped through the familiar sliding doors and quickly glanced at the reference desk. Armin sat at his usual spot, typing at his computer. The sort of typical librarian stuff without the typical librarian look. No dust or angry shushes, Armin was all bright eyes and rosy cheeks. 

The other librarian, Historia, sat at her nook, leaned over to him and said something before they both started laughing. And looked up.

Right at him.

Jean walked a little faster, head down with purpose, toward the fantasy stacks. As much as he would love to try his hand at flirting with Armin again, the latest Hanji Zoe novel had just come out and he wanted to start reading while his signed special edition made its way to its new home in the mail.

He also wanted to avoid being laughed at by two librarians.

He didn’t have to go far to reach his read; the book sat on a “New Release” display right next to a fresh Smith mystery-thriller. He contemplated both but he knew Smith’s mystery would go unread between Zoe and whatever the Bar Association put out next week.

So he settled, for Zoe’s latest installment in her high fantasy monster world and took slow steps toward the check out counter.

He paused. What did he even say to Armin? Yeah, sure, hello, this is the book I want to check out, thanks and have a great day. The basics were covered, but how did he start a conversation that didn’t revolve around a compliment coming off as an insult? Or ungodly creepy? 

Jean clutched the book a little tighter, tapping fast fingers over the cover, idly scanning another shelf just to give himself time to think. He felt like such a dork. That was his only thought. The new goal was to un-feel like a dork.

Finally, with a sigh, he walked up to the counter, slow, fast, wait— he wanted to time it just right so Armin would call him up instead of Historia, but then backed down from his plan before aggressively following his plan.

Except Armin spoke to some guy.

Some…really good looking guy.

Sure, some guy, they were _laughing_ in a familiar sort of way. He didn’t look like the type Armin would know— dark hair pulled into a messy ponytail, pierced ears, tattoos down his hands. Textbook hot bad boy, so of course Armin would be interested.

Jean felt his stomach drop. He wasn’t ugly, by any means, but he definitely didn’t exude rough and dangerous either. More of a disgruntled law student who’d stayed up too late-look. So exhausted and pissed off. Maybe it would be better to drop it now, before he pursued and ended up getting hurt. He didn't want to butt-in on a couple, even if didn't think they matched and even if he didn't know for sure they were dating. 

“I can get you over here,” Armin said, waving a hand. “And _you_ get _off_ my _desk_!”

The guy laughed and slid back, enough that Jean could set his book on the counter with shoulder room. He had such a smug look on his face, like he somehow knew Jean had waited on Armin for a chance to strike up conversation—

“Not even going to say hi, Jeanbo?”

Jean shook his head, looked the guy over again, closer. His eyes widened. Of course he knew that stupidly smug grin.

“Eren Fucking Jaeger?”

“Didn’t realize I had a new middle name.”

That tone. That snarky tone lit a fire under Jean’s ass that made him want to throw hands at Eren’s face. And judging by the nasty gleam in those green eyes, Eren felt the same.

Armin cleared his throat and pulled the book off the counter like it could be collateral damage, eyes darting between them. “You two know each other?”

“Undergrad,” Eren snorted. “ _You_ two know each other?”

Eren had all the grace of a drunken goldfish on tone legs. Every encounter they’d ever had ended up in a fist fight or a drunken, parking lot screaming match. Usually, bets were made. And now felt no different with the way Historia kept glancing over, her phone in hand ready to catch any action.

“He’s a patron, Eren, so be nice,” Armin scolded.

“Patron.” Eren said it like the word felt too pretentious to use for Jean, which only pissed Jean off more.

“It’s a big, new word,” Jean replied. “Want me to go find you a dictionary?”

Eren slammed a hand on the counter and Armin started. “Still living with mommy?”

“Still slashing Reiner’s tires because you got dumped?”

Eren bristled. Armin’s mouth dropped. Historia, from her desk, gasped.

“I thought _you_ dumped _him_?” Armin whispered.

That sharp grin fell, replaced by something feral as Eren sputtered everywhere. Alright, so The Breakup Heard Around the Campus was still a touchy subject. Maybe it was a little low of Jean to bring it up but that dumbfounded look on Eren’s face: priceless. Eren clenched his fist on the counter, knuckles turning white, and Jean braced himself for a swing that would ignite more embarrassment. And that would probably ruin any future chance of him ever talking casually to Armin again but he’d be damned if he was letting Eren Fucking Jaeger kick his ass in a public library.

“Eren, is your phone ringing?” Armin said, setting down his phone. Eren tore his eyes from Jean’s face, pulled out his phone and rolled his eyes.

“Ugh, tt’s Mikasa. What could she want?”

“Better answer it.”

The air around them somehow settled. Jean leaned against the counter as Eren stormed out, brow still knit too tight as he answered his phone with a sharp “Hello”. Armin sighed, his shoulders dropping a bit. Jean couldn’t stop himself from laughing at the ridiculous run-in. He had really been prepared to kick Eren’s ass in front of his friend. If needed, of course.

“Uhh…sorry,” Jean said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked away. Historia sank back into her chair with a disappointed huff. “You diffused that situation really well by calling him.”

Armin…laughed. A little chuckle that made Jean look back up.

“I texted his sister to call him. Told her it was an emergency,” Armin said, a hint of mischief in his smile. That made Jean more curious than he had been. “She knows that’s code for ‘Eren is about to start a fight so please distract him’.”

Jean remembered Mikasa from Trost University. He'd had a crush on her, briefly, during their College Algebra course, and flopped on ever asking her out the moment he saw her hanging around that hot-headed idiot. Had Armin gone to TU? Maybe he'd completely overlooked him.

“That’s really good communication.”

Armin shrugged. “For future reference, we have a self-checkout.”

And back to business. Armin nodded towards the kiosk in front of the desk with the huge sign “SELF CHECKOUT” on the side.

“Oh yeah! I’m…not all that good with technology.” It was a feeble lie that a stiff wind could knock over. Or the sharp way Armin raised his brow.

“Library card?” He asked, holding out a hand.

Jean pulled out his wallet and fished out his card, handing it over as Armin scanned his book. Every move sharp, practiced, not a motion wasted. He wondered just how long Armin had been working here. Or in libraries in general.

“An attorney who’s not tech savvy?”

Jean felt his cheeks grow hot. “How’d you—”

“Your temporary bar card,” Armin said and pointed to Jean’s open wallet. “I didn’t think lawyers wore crocs.”

The flush Jean tried to will away came back in full force. “I didn’t think librarians really wore sweatervests.”

A pause. Armin focused on the receipt coming out of the printer. Pulled it off. Circled the return date. Two weeks.

Red burned over his cheeks and his button nose. 

“Good one. Jean.” And he smiled. Not necessarily friendly nor mean, just amused. And amused felt better than either of those right now. It was an opening. A little piece of stone to latch on to.

“I’ll come up with something better next time.”

“I hope so,” Armin said, sitting back down and adjusting his glasses. “Nothing worse than a boring bookworm, right?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean finally maneuvers a very simple, very basic conversation with Armin.

Jean let his book slide into the return box and kept walking. He’d devoured Zoe’s latest hit as as soon as he’d finished his exam. And while he promised he wouldn’t get invested in another book so soon, Zoe’s words left him starving.

And a chance to see Armin always made him smile _after_ the anxiety of seeing Armin wore off.

He walked by the reference desk, Historia sitting alone. His disappointed sigh caught her attention because she looked up long enough to point across the room.

Jean raised a brow and followed her manicured finger.

Armin stood at a shelf, putting out books under a sign that read Staff’s Picks. Historia’s were marked in pink, Pieck in purple, Connie in yellow and Armin’s in blue. It was a cute organization system. He felt his stomach do an odd little flip as he briefly watched Armin work. Absorbed and oblivious, or maybe not caring, that he had a quiet audience.

Ugh. Audience really made him sound weird.

“Oh…um…I’m not—”

Historia rolled her eyes. “Oh please. You’re super obvious.”

He flushed and that was enough to prove her point without further evidence.

Jean wanted to disappear as he rubbed the back of his neck. Again, rusty. He knew the latest fantasy epic and law guides, not cute boys in oversized sweaters and glasses. So maybe he didn’t know how to play it cool in a library. He didn’t want to seem like the local creep and make the workplace uncomfortable either.

Plus the next closest library was almost a thirty minute drive.

“Tsk. Whatever.”

He heard Historia giggle as he walked over to the recommendation shelf. Each step felt like walking into a flaming pit, burning and draining, creating a bubbling anxiety in his stomach that screamed for him to turn back. Dried out throat included. What did he even say? How did he even start a conversation with someone so—

“Hello, looking for something new to read?” Armin chimed as he approached. 

Maybe Armin was a mind reader. Or maybe he just picked up on painful awkwardness. Jean shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and eyed the shelves. Looking at Armin and forming words all at once was sort of hard.

“Thinking about it,” Jean shrugged. He bit his lip. “Anything…you know…good?”

“It depends on your definition of good.” Armin punctuated it by placing a book on the Connie row. Poor Connie. That judgment was harsh.

“Anything like Zoe’s stuff?”

Armin wrinkled his nose and Jean felt that judgment smack him right in the face. “So anything high fantasy?”

“Look, the way they’ve taken the titan concept and twisted it into something fresh is really pretty cool.” He could go on and on about Zoe’s books and world building if he didn’t check himself. He also didn’t want to scare Armin off by diving into a nerdy rant either. He withdrew a little, biting his tongue as Armin waited, expectantly. “Just…something to consider. That’s all.”

“Why’d you stop?”

For the first time since they’d started talking, Jean looked at him. Really looked at him. Not the sideways glances and quick avoidances. He took in Armin’s sharp gaze behind those glasses, the way his sweater hung a little too big around his shoulders. It was a little like staring into the sun. Desperately wanting to look but doing it for too long would blind him.

“I…I just didn’t want to ramble.”

“You don’t strike me as a rambler.”

“Yeah,” Jean chuckled. “That’s because I caught myself.”

He’d learned that lesson a long time ago. Not everyone wanted to listen to him nerd out over his favorite books.

“If you say so.”

Jean swallowed. “You haven’t picked up their books?”

“The synopsis line of _The Legacy of Ymir_ was enough for me.” The sass in Armin’s critique felt harmless. 

Jean left dying on his Hanji Hill to another time. They were having a conversation. A real…somewhat real conversation.

“Alright, o’ great librarian of Trost, what’s going up on the Armin pick?”

Armin paused his shelving, a little hint of color on his cheeks.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have put you on the spot—”

“You’re really interested in my recommendations?”

Jean met his eyes again, instead of letting them flick to everything and everywhere. Armin had a reserved look about his book choice. Maybe they had that bit in common. Jean rubbed his arm. “Well…yeah. I assume they’re pretty good since, you know.” He vaguely gestured around. “You work here.”

A little smile spread over Armin’s lips. His lips had a cute heart-shape to them that stole a piece of Jean’s attention, making his stomach flip and tense and want to vomit his anxiety all at once. Armin picked a book off his cart and slapped it against Jean’s arm. Not hard, but enough that Jean could hear a hollow thud.

He took the book, ran a finger over its glossy black letters against the burgundy cover. “An Ackerman novel that’s _not_ Levi?”

“Surprised?”

Jean laughed a bit, still admiring the cover. “Levi’s been on the best sellers for months, so yeah, a little.”

Armin folded his arms and leaned against the shelf. “Just because he’s married to Erwin and they have an expansive paranormal crime thriller-verse it does not mean he’s any better than his uncle. Read it or not but…you asked for something new.”

Armin had an edge of defense to his voice. Practiced and rehearsed. He sounded like he’d heard it a hundred times before— _this book? Are you sure? You have weird taste._ Jean’s skepticism was probably nothing new. 

But still…

Kenny Ackerman wasn’t exactly an author Jean had ever considered. And certainly not his gritty books.

He laughed, flipping through the pages. “Must be decent if you’re that fired up about it.”

The flush on Armin’s cheeks never changed, but the fury in his eyes melted, enough to be gentle again. Eyes that reflected the sea, not just in color, but temperament. A steady flow of calm but with deadly currents running underneath. He didn’t think Armin would lose his cool like Eren, and start swinging, but he didn’t doubt Armin could deliver a tongue-lashing if needed.

Despite that collected calm, a bit of passion still stirred in his eyes. Jean couldn’t stop himself from liking it. 

Armin sat another book on the shelf. “Guess you’ll just have to read and find out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Likes/kudos/comments are always loved and welcomed <3 <3 See y'all next week!

**Author's Note:**

> Do we like Wednesdays for updates? Does that work with everyone's schedule?  
> Updates Wednesdays <3


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